Hi there!
There are 7-day one-way cruises between Vancouver (Canada) and Whittier (Alaska).
These are one of the best types of Alaska cruises because they usually include 2 glacier sea days. There is a Glacier Bay National Park sea day and one more glacier sea day (Hubbard Glacier or College Fjord).
If I must choose, I would do a cruise with Glacier Bay National Park and Hubbard Glacier, book the small boat Hubbard Glacier wilderness excursion through the cruise line if available, and then do a Whittier excursion to see the College Fjord glaciers. Look at the cruise lines of Princess and Holland America in 2024, 2025, and 2026. Starting in 2025, NCL is also going to Whittier.
Travel planning for Whittier cruise port
If your cruise is starting in Whittier, you’ll fly into Anchorage airport.
It’s always a good idea to arrive a day before your cruise starts because of potential flight delays.
Whittier is a very small town with very few accommodation options, so most people stay in Anchorage before their cruise.
So you can stay in Anchorage the night before, and then the morning of your cruise you can go to Whittier.
Also consider that if you’re flying from East Coast USA to Alaska, you have a 4-hour time difference. By arriving a day or 2 early, you can start to get used to the new time zone sooner and feel refreshed before your cruise!
I arrived 2 days early when I had my cruise from Whittier, so I stayed 2 nights in Anchorage. (Although I was coming from Europe so I wanted extra buffer time for sure!)
If your cruise ends in Whittier, you’ll go to Anchorage after your cruise to fly out of Anchorage airport.
I flew out of Anchorage a day after my cruise ended when I had my cruise to Whittier, so I stayed a night in Anchorage.
You must consider traveling Alaska by train as an extension of your cruise to or from Whittier! See more about the best Alaska train trips.
For flights, I like to compare prices at kayak.com and then book direct.
You can compare hotel prices at hotels.com.
Here are Anchorage hotels to consider
Read the reviews at partner websites!
- Hotel Captain Cook (hotel commonly recommended in cruise facebook groups)
- Comfort Suites Anchorage International Airport (if you just want a place near the airport to sleep before/after your flight)
- Hyatt Place Anchorage Midtown (if you want to stay a few days in Anchorage)
- Base Camp Anchorage Hostel (perfect for solo travelers if you’re just looking for a cheap place to sleep)
On the other end of your cruise, also see about Vancouver cruise port!
All things Whittier on the blog!
- Traveling between Whittier and Anchorage
- Alaska by train
- Ending a cruise in Whittier: How to get from Whittier cruise port to Anchorage
- Starting a cruise in Whittier: How to get from Anchorage to Whittier cruise port
- Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center
- Best Whittier excursions
- Alaska cruise ports
- Choosing a cruise
Top Whittier tours to book
Read the reviews at partner website Viator!
- 26 glacier boat tour (see 2 glaciers up close from the boat!)
- Whittier cruise port to Anchorage transfer with Alaska craft beverage tour
Epic Anchorage tours
- Full-day glacier hiking tour
- Glacier flightseeing tour with 3 landings (from Palmer AK, 1 hour drive from Anchorage)
- Helicopter flightseeing and dog sledding on a glacier (from Girdwood AK, 45 minute drive from Anchorage)
Read the homepage on the blog for the beginner’s guide to Alaska cruises!
More cruise ports: Juneau | Ketchikan | Skagway | Vancouver
More Alaska travel planning tips you need to know!
Juneau | Ketchikan | Skagway | Icy Strait Point | Sitka | Seattle | Vancouver
Things you might need for a day in Alaska on land or at sea!
Read the reviews on Amazon! I'm an Amazon Associate.*
- Rain poncho for a day out and about
- Review from cruise ship passenger: "Absolutely loved having these for our Alaska excursions from the cruise ship! Nice, lightweight, easily packable... easy to put on over our backpacks... Also, highly breathable vs the disposable plastic ones. Ours held up to the windy conditions too!..."
- Read the full review.
- Or... cheap ponchos just in case
- merrell waterproof shoes for women (one of the best shoe brands for the outdoors)
- merrell shoes for men
- travel binoculars that come with a phone adapter designed to allow you to take pictures through the binoculars with your phone. (Test out the binoculars and phone adapter at home before your cruise so you won't be wasting time figuring out when you want to be actually looking for wildlife!)
- for higher quality ones, as recommended in cruise facebook groups by people in-the-know, look at vortex diamondback binoculars
- Packable lightweight puffer jacket (aka travel-friendly)
- For women: puffer jacket | for men: puffer jacket
- Water resistant hiking clothes for Alaska
- for women: hiking pants | for men: hiking pants
For more ideas, do a search for Alaska cruise clothes!
*I may earn a commission.
📌 Save this post for later! Save on Pinterest! 👈📌
Pinterest tip: Share the travel ideas you find on pinterest with your travel partners! Go to your Alaska cruise travel board, and look for the little + person icon! Or, you can go to "edit board" and "invite" your travel partners as a "collaborator"! This way you can all add pins to one shared board and you can all easily see what ideas others have found!